sharing my life through food

so i know i haven’t written in awhile, but that’s the life of a nursing student/zumba instructor/full time worker

i’ll try to check in more often, sorry to leave you all hanging!!

so let’s recap some good eats!

my mom came up to visit over the weekend, so friday night we went out to dinner

we went to this restaurant called J.Gilbert’s in Glastonbury which is a “rustic steakhouse”

now those who know me know my stance on meat, and my parameters for eating it

this place did not disappoint!

but first!

we started out with a nice crisp riesling!

now i’m not a wine snob

and quite frankly i really don’t know the difference between a good wine, a bad wine, a “fruity” wine, a “dry wine” or anything in between

all i know, is that i love riesling

it’s sweet enough for me, but not overly sweet like a dessert wine or an iced wine

next it was time to check out the menu and see what they had to offer

as i mentioned before, i have certain parameters for the meat that i eat

this can all be chalked up to movies such as “Food, Inc” and books like “Fast Food Nation”

it’s important to know where your food comes from, and how it was treated

so imagine my delight when i saw this on the menu!

do you see that??? no antibiotics, no added growth hormones, and all meat comes from sustainable farms. plus, they even list the farms they use…how cool is that??? i love knowing that the food i’m eating isn’t going to poison my body!

i got to administer meds today, which was pretty awesome. i did whole pills mixed with applesauce, and then i also got to do an insulin injection!

tomorrow we may get to do some PPD’s as well!! fun times with needles!!

usually when i get home from a clinical day i’m beat and the last thing i want to do is make dinner

but tonight i said NO to fast food, NO to convenient bad food, and YES to a healthy dinner!

i decided to do a taco salad since i’m horrible at getting in enough veggies

i browned up some 99% lean ground turkey, added taco seasoning to it

and then added that along with fresh salsa, ranch dressing, and tortilla strips to a huge bed of baby romaine!

i probably could’ve added more veggies to it to up the nutrient density

but one step at a time here folks

veggies and this girl aren’t just going to magically form an alliance

it takes time

as for dessert, i came across a conclusion while grocery shopping yesterday

i ❤ dessert

in all shapes and forms

and i will never give up dessert

so now the challenge is to find a healthier dessert

tonight, that healthy dessert is banana ice cream!

into the food processor went 2 frozen bananas (cut into chunks,) dark chocolate peanut butter (yes it’s at good as it sounds,) shredded coconut and some vanilla soy milk to help mix it all up

finish it off with a cherry (or three…) and some shredded coconut

and voila!! deliciousness that isn’t nearly as bad for you as the real stuff!!

my butt doesn’t get bigger for another day!!

now, it’s time to veg out with the dogs and watch some tv (i’m currently hooked on harper’s island…this is my third time through, and yes i realize i have a problem…at least it isn’t supernatural! i’m OBSESSED with that show!)

first off, let me just say that this race was awesome!!!! and not just because i finished in a crazy good time (41:30!!!!!)

to begin with…the race was held in Chester, which, if you’re unfamiliar with Connecticut, is a quaint town tucked in the connecticut river valley. it’s seriously like the cutest town you’ve ever seen. i got there early enough to register and find great parking, so i just walked around and checked places out. too bad nothing was open yet, but it was still so cute!!

okay…so on to the actual race!!

below is a map of the course

i had some idea of where the hills were going to be (thanks to my friend Jill who’s from that area!) but still…unless you’ve been to Chester, you really have no idea of how hilly this town is

however, on the plus side, every quarter mile or so there were water stations and people with hoses to cool you down

seriously, how awesome is that?!?! just when i could feel myself starting to lag, i’d pass a water station and be right back at it. 10 points town of chester!

overall, the course was really pretty, and never boring. even though it was hilly, i actually really liked it! it changed it up, i was never bored, and i was constantly pushing myself…enough so that i finished this 4 mile race in less time than the 5K i ran in June!! woohoo!!!

as you can see, it was pretty crowded afterwards, and i didn’t really know anyone there, so after cooling down it was time to truck it on home

once in the car, i chowed down on some crazy awesome jelly beans i got at Dick’s sporting goods

i got them on a whim, and hey, they’re jelly beans…JELLY BEANS!!! CANDY THAT’S OKAY TO EAT WHEN YOU’RE WORKING OUT! okay..i’m calm

they were pretty good, and helped with my energy levels for the drive home

another thing that helped overall were my new compression capris. i got them on a whim because last time i ran 4 miles my legs felt like crap. plus, my nursing instructor was encouraging us to use compression stockings/socks etc…to take care of our legs since we’re on them so much, so i figured it couldn’t hurt to use them for running as well. well…let me tell you, i now am in love with underarmour, and i love these compression capris!!! my legs felt FABULOUS after the race…no aching, no pain, no joint pain…amazing!! we’ll see how i feel later on, but so far, these pants rock my world!

overall…this race was awesome, and i’ll def be signing up for it again next year!! now, it’s time to shower and get ready for a BBQ later on today!!!

eleanor roosevelt def knew what she was talking about when she said this!

being pushed out of your comfort zone is terrifying, but exciting and necessary for growth and change! It’s crazy to think that this year is practically halfway done already…it seems like just yesterday we were welcoming in 2012! This year has brought about some crazy changes, and has pushed me to start reevaluating what it is i want out of my life

in february i decided to become a certified zumba instructor because i was frustrated with the classes i was taking at my local gym. i never intended for it to become anything, i just wanted to do something for myself. but then auditions came up at a local business looking for new instructors, and instead of backing down because i was afraid, i bit the bullet, auditioned, and now i teach regularly with some AMAZING people and couldn’t be happier!

In June my coworker and good friend Jackie challenged me to run the Susan G. Komen race for the cure with her. I hadn’t seriously run in a few years, and my fitness was seriously lacking due to stress, a busy schedule, and let’s face it, laziness! but i agreed to do it, and now i’m doing a race tomorrow, and am signed up for 2 more in sept. and october!

in 2010 i decided that i was going to go back to school to become a nurse, and at the end of April i finally finished all of my pre-requisites for the program. i applied to the program, and got in on the first try (which is crazy because the competition is FIERCE!) now i’m almost done with my first semester of school, and am still maintaining my A average (which ain’t easy by the way…)

and now, to top it off, i took the plunge and am attempting to start up CrossFit next week! There’s a local box about 15 minutes away from where i live, and groupon was offering a day for 2 introductory classes and a month of unlimited classes for only $65!! i couldn’t pass that up, especially since i’ve been itching to try it (for that, i can thank Tina) i’ve emailed the owner, and it looks like i’ll be taking my on ramp classes next week!!

i realize this post is really winded and wordy, but i think to honestly put in writing the things i’ve been accomplishing this past year is really motivating and helping to spur me on. there are days when i feel completely overwhelmed and lost, and like i’m not doing enough of the things i love. however, writing it all down, i see that i really am accomplishing the things i’m setting out to do. i’m pushing myself out of my comfort zone, and because of that, achieving things that before i only thought about!

i’ll post more food/fitness related stuff later today! just wanted to put down the goals i’ve achieved so far, and those that i’m working towards!!

What are some goals that you have achieved so far? Any that you’re looking to try sometime soon? Anything that has intimidated you in the past, but that you’re trying and love?

this was the question i left class with tonight…which is worse? or, essentially, which is better?

osteoporosis can be described as a metabolic disorder in which bone degeneration exceeds bone construction. it isn’t a normal progression of age, but age is certainly a risk factor…that and being a female, post menopausal, and either white or asian. also, one main lifestyle risk factor is a sedentary lifestyle.

osteoarthritis is bone degeneration as a result of wear and tear…so after years of tons and tons of wear on the joints, they eventually wear down and the cushiony cartilage that protects these joints disappear causing bone to grind on bone. this, as one can expect, has a risk factor of a very active lifestyle.

so which is worse/better? being sedentary and risk getting osteoporosis…or being active and getting osteoarthritis? decisions decisions!!

so on to more pressing and timely relevant matters…

i’m sorry i’ve been slacking with the pictures lately! my phone really sucks at sending these pictures to my email. i swear i have tons, but they’re stuck somewhere in the interwebs!!

you’ll have to use your imagination…i have pictures of the coventry farmer’s market where my husband performed yesterday with his commedia troupe! i have pictures of my husband subduing our boston terrier through cheek kisses! and i have pictures of delicious smoothies and oatmeal and yogurt parfaits!!

alas…you’ll have to wait 😦 maybe one day they’ll make it to my email and i can share it with you!